Maybe You Sleep Tonight
by AJ and Sebastian Goin
Summary: Morgan finds the cure for the insomnia left behind by a bad case. Now Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I'm not having a good night and I needed a distraction. So I decided to write my first ever Criminal Minds ficcie. If this is the first time you're reading anything by me, check out my profile! For the record, I am always a HEA (Happily Ever After) girl! Since I'm the one writing this angsty little thing, I shall spare you all a note from my muse and keep him locked in his cage!

Disclaimer: If I owned Criminal Minds, the BAU's dress code would include being shirtless for one SSA Derek Morgan.

Beta: You will rarely see one from me at all. I always reread before I post but none of my old B-girls are around anymore and I don't have the patience to find a new one.

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Derek Morgan was not in a good mood. Okay, that was probably the understatement of the year. He was in a piss poor mood.

It had been one of _those_ cases. The ones where the UNSUB was targeting kids always hit them all hard. This one had been bad. They'd been called in after victim number two and hadn't managed to figure out who the guy was until the body of victim five was found. When they finally caught up to him the body count was at eight and there was a little boy still in critical condition who might not make it.

If he was being honest, Morgan was pissed at himself. He felt that he should have picked up on more clues. That he should have been able to save at least the last few boys. And he definitely felt that JJ's injury had been his fault. If he'd been a little faster getting out of the SUV, he would have beaten JJ to the UNSUB and she wouldn't have gotten stabbed.

Luckily, she'd been practicing hand to hand combat with him as she was spending more time in the field since becoming a profiler. She had managed to twist the UNSUB's grip and, as a result, had taken the blade in the shoulder instead of the chest. The wound hadn't been terribly deep, but did require stitches.

The plane ride home from Arizona had been exceptionally quiet. No one had talked or joked. And it wasn't because they had been sleeping either. JJ had been the only one who had managed that, a phenomenon courtesy of prescription painkillers. They had all finished their reports long before touching down.

As usual, Hotch had called Jessica as soon as they were in the air. He'd let her know he would be home by the time Jack woke in the morning. JJ had made the same call to Will and Henry. Morgan, however, had skipped his usual call to Garcia. He couldn't handle her perkiness just then. Or worse, her sympathy. Rossi had seemed to get it and called their tech analyst for him.

Once back in Quantico, Morgan had volunteered to print everyone's reports and file the required paperwork. Rossi had offered his help, but Derek declined, asking him to take Reid home instead. A sharp glare had kept Blake from making the same gesture. It was late Thursday night. Landing time automatically afforded them Friday off, which meant they had a three day weekend, and most of the rest of the team had already had plans of some sort for Saturday. As for Morgan, he really just wanted peace and quiet.

Since it was nearly 2am when he'd dragged into his office, the entire floor of the building was deserted. In the silence he'd managed to get the team's housekeeping done in record time. He had also caught up on his emails while he'd been at the computer anyway, just to ensure he would have the next three days to himself with no work.

Now it was 3:15am and Derek was standing in the parking garage next to his SUV, which refused to start. The vehicle had been acting out of the ordinary Monday morning, but he hadn't gotten to take it to be looked at because they'd left for Phoenix. He should have asked Garcia to take care of it, but it just hadn't been on his mind.

He slammed the back hatch of the vehicle and cursed audibly. Now he was going to have to call a cab and wait.

That thought had him considering the couch in the bullpen when he heard the sharp click of heels on the concrete of the garage. Before he could turn around, her voice covered the sound of her steps.

"Hey there, Hot Stuff. What are you still doing here?"

He hadn't wanted to talk to her earlier, but now he was grateful for the sound of Garcia's voice. "Hey yourself Baby Girl. Damn car won't start. You?"

Derek sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. She immediately snaked her free arm around his waist, the other hand holding her large bag. "I was helping out another team. Need a ride home?"

"That would be great, sweetness." Derek hauled his go bag back out of the SUV, shut the door, and locked it before following her across the garage.

They walked to her car in silence. That was part of what made his relationship with her so special. While they never ran out of things to talk about, they could just be quiet together without it being uncomfortable.

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Derek woke with a start. It took him a moment to realize that it was the sudden loss of noise from the car's engine that had hurtled him back into consciousness.

"Welcome back to the land of the living. You were some kind of asleep. You didn't even noticed we stopped for food."

He noticed the fast food bags between them and shook his head. "That's probably the most sleep I'll get tonight."

Derek was out of the car, bag in hand when he noticed she was still sitting in the driver's seat. "You gonna come in and eat that with me or what?"

He didn't wait for a response. He knew better than that. By the time he'd gotten his front door unlocked, she was right behind him. As he swung open the door, he pitched his back to the side and stuck his right hand down, snagging Clooney by the collar before he could hurtle himself into Garcia.

He dragged the dog through to the door that led to the fenced back yard and shoved him out. By the time he made it back to his living room, she was settled on his couch, fishing food out of the bags.

They maintained their silence as they ate, bagged up the trash, and he let Clooney back in. The dog made a beeline for Garcia and he rolled his eyes. The dog was well trained but his best friend allowed the pup to get away with anything.

He finally convinced the excited pooch to settle on his bed in the corner and settled back on the seat next to Garcia. After a few more minutes the silence shifted into the realm of awkward. Another minute later, she was the one to break it.

"You didn't call me from the jet."

It was technically a statement, but Morgan knew it required a response. "I'm sorry Sweetness. I wasn't in the mood to talk. Knowing me, I would have just bitten your head off."

Her hand came to rest on his shoulder. "Angel Face, I would have known you didn't mean it. You know I just want you to talk to me."

Derek shoved to his feet and paced slowly back and forth in his living room. "You want me to talk? Should we start with the fact that this guy killed six kids under my nose, P? Or the fact that I let JJ get stabbed?"

In an instant she was standing immediately in front of him, a tight scowl on her face. "Listen here Agent Morgan: neither of those things are your fault. They are both the fault of a sick, twisted, disgusting excuse for a man. A man that is sitting in a cell right now because of you. You did everything your sexy self could possibly do. And you got him."

Derek shook his head. "Not soon enough. I should have had him before…"

She shoved a perfectly polished fingernail into his chest. "Do not start that. If you're going to blame yourself you'll have to take the rest of the team down with you. Every last one of us. So if it's your fault that JJ got stabbed then it's mine too."

His heart slammed into his stomach and he pulled her against him, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I didn't mean that, P. You know I didn't mean that right?"

"I know Sweet Cheeks. Just thought you needed a little perspective."

Morgan loosened the hug enough to press his forehead against hers. "Thanks Baby Girl. What would I do without my God-given Solace?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Well let's just hope you never have to figure that one out Hot Stuff."

After another minute she squeezed him tightly then pushed back. "Off to bed with you. I'm going to borrow your couch for a few hours."

Morgan opened his mouth to argue that she should take his bed but the look on her face shut him up. That was another argument he'd never win. He rolled his eyes and headed for his room to pull out the old pair of sweats she always borrowed when she stayed.

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It was no longer completely dark in his bed room. Derek checked the time on the clock that sat on his nightstand. It was 6am. He had been tossing and turning on his bed for nearly two hours. With a sigh, he pulled a pillow over his face.

This is what he hated the most about the way his mind worked. When he was completely exhausted is when he couldn't sleep. His head was going a million miles a minute, that is, until it would come screeching to a halt on the face of that last little boy. Or the image of JJ, blood streaming from her shoulder.

He shot up with a start when his bedroom door creaked. In the dimness, he could make out her shape in the doorway. "Babygirl?"

She walked quietly over to his bed and climbed in next to him. He turned to face her, bringing his face just inches from hers. It wasn't until she was that close that he noticed the tears on her cheeks. He raised one hand to wipe them gently away with his thumb. "What's wrong, Angel?"

"Nothing. Bad dream. I just needed to make sure you were okay."

He studied her face for a moment. He believed her. She had seemed to stop crying once he'd touched her. He heaved another sigh. "Awake, but okay. You want to stay here?"

She nodded and he felt relieved. "Good. Cause honestly, right now, I could use some of my solace."

Derek rolled onto his back and stretched out his arm. She didn't hesitate to curl up at his side, head on his shoulder and hand on his chest. He bent his own arm, his hand covering the one on his chest.

Finally, his mind settled and he slept.

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AN: I'm kind of pleased with how this developed. But my stupid muse is prattling on from inside his cage. He is insisting that this should be a multi-chapter fluff piece. So I need opinions. Should I leave this as a standalone piece or add to it? Let me know in comments or PMs.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I am absolutely floored by all of your reviews! I would normally answer them via PM individually, but there are 15 already! In 12 hours! So I will just say thank you all here. Your kind words mean so much to much discussion and debate between Sebastian (the muse) and I, we have decided to go ahead with the story. It won't be any kind of Epic, but Sebby had an awesome idea. I'm going to rewrite chapter 1 from Garcia's point of view as the next chapter. Then Chapter 3 will be back to Morgan and so on. I am used to writing 3rd person omniscient so this will be a change for me. It was actually a fabulous struggle to write the first installment just from Morgan's POV. I know where this is going but only part of how it will get there, so forgive me if it, at any point, takes me days between postings.

Muse's Note: Thank you all for ganging up on her with me! I am really excited to get to write this! Just so you all know how it generally goes, you may sometimes feel like there are two different people writing this story. There really kind of are. I may live in AJ's mind, but I am so different from her that she had to give me a name. Seriously. But we're getting pretty good and stitching our ideas together fairly seamlessly.

Disclaimer: We love Spencer Reid to death, but if we owned the show, his hair would get combed more regularly.

Beta: We fly solo so if you notice any big errors when you're reading, PM us so we can fix it please!

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Penelope Garcia was aggravated. Not mildly frustrated or tired and agitated. No, she was aggressively aggravated. And that was very uncharacteristic for her.

It had been one of _those_ cases. The ones where the UNSUB was targeting kids always hit them all hard. This one had been bad. They'd been called in after victim number two and hadn't managed to figure out who the guy was until the body of victim five was found. When they finally caught up to him, the body count was at eight and there was a little boy still in critical condition who might not make it.

That alone would have left her agitated. Then she'd gotten the call from Blake. JJ would be fine but was coming home with stitches in her shoulder. It killed her when anyone on the team was hurt. They were her family and it drove her crazy that she couldn't protect them.

Logically she knew it could have been so much worse. JJ had been training steadily with Morgan for the past few months. She'd even managed to land a couple of good blows when sparring with him. The skills had allowed her to deflect the path of the knife away from her organs.

She shuddered as she thought about what might have happened if JJ hadn't beaten Morgan to the UNSUB. He was faster than JJ. And more aggressive. He would have bowled into their suspect too fast to see the blade, to react.

It was that thought that had kept her at her desk, waiting for his call that they were on their way home. She needed desperately to talk to him. To know he was okay. But he hadn't called. She'd gotten a call from Rossi once the jet was in the air.

"_Hey kitten. We're on our way home."_

"_Good." She'd paused for a moment. "Is he okay?"_

_Rossi had sighed. "Not really. He's going to need you this weekend."_

So, tired as she was, instead of heading home she stayed in her lair, fingers dancing across the keys, finishing her case report. Then she'd cleared her inboxes, both physical and email. She'd been ready to shut everything down and leave when she'd gotten the IM from another tech, begging for her help.

She assumed the team had just headed straight home, planning to do their paperwork tomorrow, since no one stopped by her office. Hotch and JJ were doing that more lately now, always eager to get home to their boys. She was a little surprised that neither Morgan nor Rossi had shown up though. Usually one of them would come in to finish the reports while the other took Reid home.

With a sigh, she finished shutting down her system. It was 3am. By her calculations, Derek would have been home for over an hour. So if he'd wanted to call her, he would have by now. Obviously she was going to have to ambush him tomorrow. For now, she was going to get a couple of hours of sleep and a hot shower.

She hoisted her bag to the crook of her arm and exited her office, flicking the light switch off on her way out of the door. She didn't really pay attention as she walked. She could get from her office to Esther with no need to engage her brain.

The trip seemed to take forever tonight. She'd been out of the office mid-morning for coffee and had ended up having to park on the far side of the garage from the entrance. As late as it was, the garage would be deserted, however, allowing her to cut quickly across the center.

As she breezed through the doors to the garage she stopped. Halfway down the first row stood Morgan, glowering at his SUV. She couldn't believe he'd been in the office next to hers and she hadn't even noticed. Shaking her head at herself, she walked toward him.

"Hey there, Hot Stuff. What are you still doing here?"

When he turned to her, he lacked his usual smile. "Hey yourself Baby Girl. Damn car won't start. You?"

Penelope felt him sigh heavily as he wrapped her in one of his warm, strong hugs. She slid her free arm around his waist. "I was helping out another team. Need a ride home?"

"That would be great, sweetness." She had waited while he retrieved his bag and locked his truck before walking across the garage to her car.

She let him stay silent. While they two of them rarely shut up around one another, they knew how to be silent together too.

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Penelope shifted her faithful old car into park and killed the engine. She looked over at her best friend. He'd fallen asleep before they were out of the garage. Now, he woke suddenly. "Welcome back to the land of the living. You were some kind of asleep. You didn't even noticed we stopped for food."

He glanced down at the bags and shook his head. "That's probably the most sleep I'll get tonight."

Her heart broke for him at that comment. She knew he didn't sleep well, but cases like this were the ones that led to him calling her in the middle of the night. It had been a cause of more than one fight between her and Kevin that she would slide out of bed with him to talk to Morgan, but she couldn't let him feel like he was alone.

Ultimately, Kevin's refusal to accept the depth of their friendship was one of the reasons she hadn't accepted his marriage proposal. Oddly, she and Kevin were now better friends then they had been during years of dating.

Derek was already out of the car and had his bag in his hand when he stuck his head back in. "You gonna come in and eat that with me or what?"

He hadn't expected a response. He knew she'd be right behind him, food in hand. She caught up to him at the door. In a well-practiced routine he'd opened the door, dropped his bag, and intercepted a rather excited Clooney.

She slid her heels off by the door as he corralled the dog out to the back yard and padded into his living room. She turned on a minimum of lights, hoping if she could keep him relaxed he might talk to her. And if he talked, he just might sleep.

They had eaten and cleaned up. Then he'd let his dog back inside. She'd petted him for a minute before giving in and letting Derek scold him off the couch and into bed before dropping himself back on to the cushion next to her.

She waited, giving him the chance to talk. It was always easier if he gave in himself than if she had to push him. After five minutes, she gave up.

"You didn't call me from the jet."

He looked guilty. And tired. She could tell he was exhausted down to his bones. "I'm sorry Sweetness. I wasn't in the mood to talk. Knowing me, I would have just bitten your head off."

Penelope gently placed her hand on his shoulder. When would he figure out that she could tell when he was hurting and that she understood. "Angel Face, I would have known you didn't mean it. You know I just want you to talk to me."

He had shot to his feet and started packing his living room like a caged animal. His voice turned hard and it was what she'd been waiting for. His heart poured straight out of his mouth. "You want me to talk? Should we start with the fact that this guy killed six kids under my nose, P? Or the fact that I let JJ get stabbed?"

She had figured that he was feeling guilty. She rose to her feet and stepped in front of him, determined not to let him continue with the pity party. "Listen here Agent Morgan: neither of those things are your fault. They are both the fault of a sick, twisted, disgusting excuse for a man. A man that is sitting in a cell right now because of you. You did everything your sexy self could possibly do. And you got him."

He had the audacity to shake his head at her. "Not soon enough. I should have had him before…"

Tired as she was, Penelope snapped. This was going to have to be a tough love kind of night. She jabbed a fingernail into the center of his chest. "Do not start that. If you're going to blame yourself you'll have to take the rest of the team down with you. Every last one of us. So if it's your fault that JJ got stabbed then it's mine too."

She felt a twinge of guilt. He looked like she had stabbed him in the chest with a knife instead of a fingertip. In an instant he had her crushed to his chest so tightly that she could barely breathe."I didn't mean that, P. You know I didn't mean that right?"

Despite her resolve to be tough on him, she relaxed against him. "I know Sweet Cheeks. Just thought you needed a little perspective."

He loosened his grip on her then pressed his forehead to hers, their faces nearly touching. "Thanks Baby Girl. What would I do without my God-given Solace?"

She fought a grin at that. _This_ was her Morgan. "Well let's just hope you never have to figure that one out Hot Stuff."

After another minute of simply enjoying being so close to him she squeezed him tightly then pushed back. "Off to bed with you. I'm going to borrow your couch for a few hours."

He opened his mouth to protest but she shot him a glare. She'd spent the week in her own bed while he had spent his few hours of rest in an unfamiliar, likely uncomfortable hotel room bed. He looped his eyes in frustration at her before walking down the hall toward his room.

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Penelope shot up on the couch, tears streaming down her face. It was the same nightmare she always had. The particulars were different, but the overall theme was identical: He was hurt and she couldn't find him. She knew her current fear was ridiculous. He was in the other room, asleep. But somehow she just couldn't convince the ache in her chest of that.

She groped for her glasses on the end table then threw back the blanket and was glad for the sweats she always borrowed when she stayed. The room was cool. As silently as possible, she crept down the hall. She twisted the doorknob gently and opened the door just a crack. He was sprawled on his back, a pillow over his face. She opened the door just a little more and cringed as it creaked.

He sat up abruptly and stared at her in the near darkness. "Babygirl?"

Now that he was awake, she indulged herself, rounding the bed and climbing in next to him. He rolled to face her, his body just a few inches from hers. Tenderly, he brought his hand up to wipe away her lingering tears. "What's wrong, Angel?"

She didn't really want to tell him, but she never could lie to him. She settled on a half-truth. "Nothing. Bad dream. I just needed to make sure you were okay."

He stared at her for a moment like he was trying to read her mind, then relaxed a bit. "Awake, but okay. You want to stay here?"

She nodded in relief. She wanted nothing more at that moment then to stay with him.

Apparently, he was feeling the same way. "Good. Cause honestly, right now, I could use some of my solace."

He rolled onto his back as she removed her glasses and dropped them on the nightstand. She immediately slid into his side. Her head settled on his shoulder and she gently laid a hand on his chest. In a moment, his hand was covering hers, its warmth seeping in.

The pain in her heart eased and she drifted off, finally able to relax.

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AN: I am confused as to how this ended up longer than the original. Oh well. A couple of things, Bastian and I decided as we finished this chapter that we aren't going to go where we had originally planned with this. Okay, it will all end the same but we're going to get there a different way. Also, I forgot to mention that the name of the story is from the song "Sleep Tonight" by Jacob Young. You can find the lyrics easily through any search engine. And for the record, we don't own that either.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: It's like I'm addicted to writing this story. I've never even considered putting up three chapters in under 24 hours before. Things just keep popping into my head.

MN: What she said. Shhhhh, writing!

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Derek had been awake for five minutes, just enjoying himself. Penelope was still snuggled into him, one of her legs hooked over his. She really was his solace. The place he felt safe and warm and…

Whole.

It wasn't the first time he'd allowed to admit to himself that "whole" was exactly how Penelope Garcia made him feel, but it was something he tried desperately to ignore most of the time. He couldn't go there with her. She deserved better than an emotionally damaged profiler. Which is why he had relegated himself to the title of best friend years ago.

It had broken his heart to watch her waste so many years on Lynch when she deserved so much better. But it had broken his heart when she'd told him they'd split up. She wouldn't even tell him what had happened, so it must have hurt, despite her insistence that she was still friends with the dweeb.

It had been three weeks since he'd gotten back from Phoenix. And for three weeks they had been doing this several nights a week when he was in town. It was always the same thing. One or both of them would have a bad day. Or just be feeling off. And definitely after he got back in from working a case out of town.

They'd get dinner, or pick up take out, or order a pizza, or cook. Then they'd watch a movie or TV. Or just talk. Or just sit together. Then they'd curl up in bed together. His or hers, it didn't matter. Once they'd even fallen asleep on his couch. But that didn't matter. What mattered is, they were sleeping.

They were the two of the team that had traditionally had the hardest time sleeping. He because he couldn't get to sleep; she because the nightmares and images from cases would rip sleep from her. Now, he was regularly getting eight or more hours of sleep when he used to average three or four.

Even when he'd been gone on cases things had been better. The nights he had managed to make it back to the hotels he would curl up in bed and call her. And they would leave the line between them open as they drifted off to sleep. For the first time since joining the BAU, he had slept 6 straight hours while on a case.

The only problem he had with the entire arrangement was that sleep was all it was. The more he got to hold her in his arms in bed, the harder it got not to tell her how he felt about her. But that was pointless. He'd told her before and she'd almost immediately started dating Lynch. Obviously she didn't feel the same way.

She stirred against him and slowly raised a sleepy head. "Good morning, Hot Stuff."

An automatic grin curled its way onto his lips. "I'll show _you_ a good morning, Angel."

"Promises, promises." She rolled off of him and stretched lazily then glanced at the clock. "We better get moving. You have absolutely nothing for breakfast in your kitchen. We're going to have to stop."

Derek shook his head as he swung himself into a sitting position. "You're on your own for that one Babydoll. I have a breakfast meeting with the Wicked Witch."

She giggled at his use of her nickname for the section chief. "I hope Hotch isn't going too. She's likely to poison his apple."

He stared at her for a moment then they both burst out laughing. By the time they regained control of themselves he had a stitch in his side and there were tears rolling down her cheeks. Catching his breath, he stood. "I'll go start coffee. You need to get your ass in the shower, Woman."

He grabbed the t-shirt from where he'd tossed it on a chair the night before and slipped it on as he left the room. He knew she would have set up the coffee maker the night before as she always did, so he only had to hit a button. He let Clooney out the door to go for his morning romp in the yard, then went into the living room and flipped on the TV, tuning it in to his favorite news channel as he heard the shower turn on.

He wandered back to the kitchen to fix his cup of coffee before returning with it to sit on the couch. As he leaned back and enjoyed the aroma of the steam coming out of his mug, his mind was far from paying attention to the news.

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"Earth to Agent Morgan."

The sound of Rossi's voice snapped him from his thoughts. "What?"

He had snapped the word, mostly out of embarrassment from tuning out his teammates. Rossi just shook his head.

"Reid just asked you if you were up for going out tonight."

The younger man cocked an eyebrow inquisitively. "Right. Guys night out. JJ said that she and Blake and Garcia are taking Beth Clemmons for dinner and shopping tonight. I thought it might be a good opportunity for the four of us to do some bonding."

Even Hotch was smiling. Obviously, every one of them thought the night out was a good idea. They hadn't had a bro night since Maeve… Actually, it sounded like it could be the distraction he needed. "Sounds good. Everybody ready to go?"

The four of them had walked to a place near the office. They had been there regularly over the years. It had decent food and great drink specials and tended to be a mellow atmosphere. They took a booth in the back and ordered meals and beers. Even Rossi had skipped his usual wine with dinner.

Derek had to admit to himself, he was having a great time. Except for the ever responsible Hotch, they had switched from beer to liquor after dinner. They were talking, laughing, joking. It was almost as though the past couple of years hadn't seen all of them hurt and depressed.

It was shortly after they'd finished eating that the first text had come through.

_Having fun with the boys, HS?_

He'd texted her back, agreeing that he was and asking how her evening was. They'd casually texted back and forth since.

"Alright, what's her name?"

Derek sent the message then looked up at Reid. "What's whose name, Boy Wonder?"

Reid made a show of rolling his eyes. "You've had your phone in your hand for the last 52 minutes. Every time it vibrates, you check it and smile. Then reply. The obvious reason for this is that you are exchanging messages with a woman."

He prayed his wasn't blushing. Sometimes his friend's habit of bluntly stating observations and inferences was annoying. "You're wrong, Kid. Just texting Garcia."

That peaked Hotch's interest. "Oh? Getting any good dirt on Ladies Night? Like what they are doing to poor Beth?"

Derek shook his head. "Sorry. All I know is that they're having fun. And Will is going to scream when he opens JJ's credit card bill next month."

Once again the four shared a laugh. As they quieted back down, the young man who had been serving them delivered another round of drinks and they all remained quiet for a few minutes, until Reid popped to his feet. "I read a book last week on the rules of playing darts. I've wanted to try them out. Anyone want to play with me?"

Derek shook his hands and put up his hands, looking at Hotch and Rossi. "Oh no. Not it. I was the poor sucker who played with him after he read three books on shooting pool. It's someone else's turn."

To his surprise it was Hotch who stood. "I'm game." The pair walked off toward the dart boards on the other side of the bar.

Instead of relaxing, Derek suddenly found himself bristling under the evaluating stare of David Rossi. He knew that look. "Are you profiling me?"

Rossi smiled his cocky, half smile. It annoyed Derek. "No. I'm just trying to figure out exactly what is going on between you and our Kitten. Something has changed. And you keep showing up to work together. And leaving together."

"We're friends. We meet for coffee or have dinner together quite frequently you know."

Rossi's smile grew. "Oh I know, but you don't show up for work in the same car if you met for coffee. You live in different parts of town. Same reason you wouldn't leave for dinner in one car. No, I'm fairly certain that the two of you are sleeping together."

Derek choked on his drink. "I…we…" He sighed. He'd been played. "It's not what you think, Dave."

"Then what is it?"

He was torn. He had been wanting to talk to someone about the whole damned situation. But Rossi was likely to tease him mercilessly about it. Hell, he was already going to tease him. Why not get things off his chest. "Okay, we're sleeping together. But that's it. I literally mean sleeping together."

Rossi cocked an eyebrow at him. "You mean you're not having sex?"

Derek dragged a hand down his face. "Exactly. It started after that case in Phoenix. When I went to leave the office, my car was dead. She was leaving too, offered me a ride home. We grabbed dinner on the way. She made me talk out how I was feeling about the case. It was late, so she stayed."

The older man's confusion was written all over his face. "In your bed?"

"Yes. I mean no. I mean, not at first." He swallowed a gulp of his drink. "I couldn't sleep. Not unusual. But I guess she had a nightmare. Came to check on me. And she looked so terrified that I told her to stay. But then, I actually slept. Like really slept. For ten hours. And she did too. So two nights later when I couldn't sleep, I ended up at her place. And we just slept. And now…"

"And now it's a regular occurrence?"

Derek couldn't meet his eyes. "Consistently. Probably five nights a week if we're in town."

"And?"

"And what?" Derek fiddled with his glass.

"And what's the problem? Other than the fact that you're head over heels in love with her, that is."

Derek's head shot up in shock, his jaw slackening. Rossi had the audacity to laugh at him.

"Oh come on. Don't tell me you are the only one who doesn't see it. Hell, a week after she started, Blake asked me how long you two had been together. She thought I was lying when I said you weren't."

Derek slammed back his drink in one smooth movement. Luckily, he was saved from any further discussion of the matter when Reid and Hotch returned. He needed to distract himself from the conversation, and fast. "Alright. It's shot time."

He immediately slid out of his seat and headed for the bar.

/././././././././././././././././././././././././././././././

"You called them?" Reid sounded as indignant as Derek felt, but Hotch just smiled.

"We are all drunk. We need rides home. So, yes, I called them. And for the record, I have dibs on Beth. The three of you can duke it out over JJ, Garcia, and Blake."

Derek and Rossi answered at almost the same time.

"Garcia."

"Blake."

Reid blanched. "Please guys. You can't make me ride home alone with JJ. She's gonna be mad at me!"

Derek laughed. Reid was drunk enough to use slang. "Come on, Kid. She isn't going to be mad. She's more likely to fawn over you. Ask you if you're 'okay'. Ask you why you felt the need to get drunk."

Reid waggled a finger at him. "I didn't feel the need. You felt the need to keep giving me shots. Lots of shots." If he'd had more to say, he didn't get to it.

Four cars pulled up at the curb in succession. The drivers got out and walked toward them. They didn't look mad. He couldn't be sure with Blake though. She was hard to read, especially when he was so thoroughly inebriated.

Garcia was the first to speak. "Alright, Hot Stuff. Come on."

No longer feeling indignant in the least, he took one very crooked step in her direction before she was at his side, arm around his waist. He laid an arm around her shoulders and pressed a noisy kill on the top of her head. "Whatever you say, Baby Girl."

Once he was belted in to her passenger seat, he looked out the window at his friends. The normally stoic Hotch was grinning wildly as Beth led him to her car. By his tie. Rossi was already climbing in Blake's passenger seat. And Reid was shuffling along behind JJ, looking like a scolded child.

"What were you four drinking?" He turned toward her voice and grinned sheepishly.

"Everything."

She rolled her eyes as she put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb. "You are going to regret that in the morning, Derek Morgan."

"I'm sure I'll live. So, Gorgeous, your place or mine?"

"Mine's closer."

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AN: Okay, seriously, did anyone else laugh out loud at Beth leading Hotch by his tie? Cause when Sebby suggested that, I about died. I am going to try to get the Garcia version of this up tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Sorry I didn't get this up last night. I got to talking with a friend and lost track of time. Then, for the third night in a row, I actually slept. Which is very unlike me. So Penelope is how Derek sleeps, and writing P/D fluff is apparently how I do. And thank you all again for your continued reviews and support. It's what makes me want to write more.

MN: I am dedicating my work on this chapter to Raggle Taggle Gypsy. I do deserve cake. Thank you for recognizing that.

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Penelope came awake slowly. She nearly always did; mornings just weren't her thing. She immediately realized that she'd wrapped herself around Derek once again. She couldn't help it. Being close to him just made her want to be closer.

She lifted her head to find him watching her again. She caught him doing that most of the mornings they had woken up together. There was always something on his mind when he was doing it, she could tell. She just didn't know what.

"Good morning, Hot Stuff."

The grin that slowly made its way onto his lips was infectious and she returned it immediately "I'll show _you_ a good morning, Angel."

That was another thing he was doing most mornings now. Her tease had somehow become his. "Promises, promises."

She forced herself to roll off of him before she took him up on that offer. She stretched out as she looked over at his alarm clock. "We better get moving. You have absolutely nothing for breakfast in your kitchen. We're going to have to stop."

He shook his head at her as he sat up. "You're on your own for that one Babydoll. I have a breakfast meeting with the Wicked Witch."

She couldn't hide the giggle that escaped at his use of her nickname for Strauss. "I hope Hotch isn't going too. She's likely to poison his apple."

They locked eyes for a moment, then both burst out laughing. When she finally managed to catch her breath, her cheeks were streaked with tears and he was holding his side. With a few lingering chuckles, he stood. "I'll go start coffee. You need to get your ass in the shower, Woman."

Penelope allowed herself to watch him as he retrieved his t-shirt and pulled it down over his muscled body. She had prepped the coffee maker the night before, so he would literally be starting the coffee by pressing one single button. He'd put Clooney out and watch the news while he waited. It was their routine.

As she made her way into the bathroom, the word bounced around in her head. Routine. Somehow, sharing a bed with her super hunky best friend had become routine, and she had no clue as to how.

It was almost every night now. They'd leave work together. Do something about dinner. Go through their normal evening routines together. Then climb in bed together. And they'd just sleep.

It was the best she'd ever slept too. There was something inherit with techies that made them susceptible to sleeplessness. Combine that with the things she saw at work, and it brewed the perfect storm of insomnia causing nightmares. She hadn't had one of those yet when he was next to her. Or when they fell asleep on the phone together when he was out of town.

Somehow being close to him, feeling close to him, just made her feel complete. It had been that ways for years now. Okay, it had been that was since long before she had admitted that it had been that way. But she wasn't his type. So she played the ever dutiful best friend to him, and tried to busy herself with guys like Kevin Lynch.

He had certainly been nice enough. And he'd adored her. But when it came down to a marriage proposal, she just couldn't bring herself to say yes. So, after one big fight and two long conversations, they had split as friends.

Now she had no distractions. And Derek was around more than ever. It was becoming harder day by day to hold her tongue.

With a sigh, she grabbed her towel and stepped out of the shower that she had barely realized she was in. She needed to get her head straight before she said something she couldn't take back.

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She sat in an armchair, glad to be off her feet. Her shoes were meant to be pretty, not walk the mall in, but she was still glad she'd come.

"_What do you think?"_

_The question had snapped Garcia out of her thoughts. "Sorry, what?"_

_JJ had sighed at her and rolled her eyes. "Girls night? You, me, Blake, and Beth. Dinner, shopping, and gossip. Maybe even some good tidbits about Hotch."_

_A night out with her girlfriends sounded like a welcomed reprieve from being in close quarters with Morgan. "Sounds good."_

Hours later, despite the fun she was having, she had found herself missing him, and more than a bit curious as to what the guys were up to. One little text couldn't possibly hurt. So she'd sent him a quick message. A minute later she was delighted when she got one back. And they had been messaging back and forth for almost an hour.

"I'm so done for tonight. Will's already going to flip with how much I spent." JJ plunked down in the chair next to her, a pile of bags at her feet.

Garcia smiled at her friend. "The only one going to be upset when the AmEx bill comes in at my house is me."

JJ chuckled in understanding and then the two had been silent. For a few minutes anyway. It seemed like the quiet had been building pressure inside of JJ and she suddenly burst. "Okay, seriously, spill. What is up with you and Morgan?"

Garcia's eyes doubled in size and she could feel her cheeks light on fire. She nearly stumbled over her own tongue when she replied, talking a million miles a minute. "What do you mean? Nothing's up. What makes you think something's up?"

This time she could almost hear the eye roll. "Seriously Garcia? You do know I'm a full-fledged profiler now right? You two are coming in and leaving together almost daily. In one vehicle. You're mentioning doing the same things, watching the same shows, eating the same food. And there has always been tension between you two but now I could scoop it up and bottle it. A whole lot of bottles too."

She felt her face flush even redder as she stared at the points of her cute but uncomfortable shoes. "JJ, it's not what you think?"

"You two aren't sleeping together?"

She let out an exasperated sigh. She wasn't going to get out of this one. "Okay, it's what you think but not the way that you think it."

She raised her head to make eye contact with her friend. The gentle look on her face encouraged Garcia to continue. "We're sleeping. Just sleeping. No hanky panky or anything else happening."

JJ quirked an eyebrow up. "You lost me."

"That night you guys got back from Phoenix, his car wouldn't start and I was just leaving so I gave him a ride home. He crashed out hardcore in the car. Didn't even wake up when I stopped to grab us something to eat. So when we got to his place, I went in to eat with him. But that case and you getting hurt had things jacked up in that handsome head of his. So I made him talk it out. And by the time we were done I was so exhausted that I crashed on the couch."

"What does that have to do with anything?" JJ's confusion was still evident on her face.

Garcia was fiddling with the hem of her dress. "I had a nightmare a couple of hours after I fell asleep. And it was about him. And I know it's stupid, but I just wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep if I didn't lay eyes on him. So I went to his room, but he wasn't asleep. And he asked me if I wanted to stay with him. And I did."

"And how exactly did that lead to…whatever it is that's happening now?"

"I don't know. A couple of nights later he couldn't sleep and he was at my door. So I let him in and we fell asleep together again. And now…" Garcia wasn't even sure how to put the rest of what was on her mind into words.

JJ placed a comforting hand on that of her friend. "And now it's an 'almost every night' kind of thing?"

Garcia nodded, not trusting herself to speak without crying.

"And it's not enough anymore, is it?"

Before she could be forced to answer, Blake and Beth were suddenly in front of them, another bag in each of their hands. At that moment, she was very willing to get back to walking in her uncomfortable shoes.

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Penelope surveyed the group of men as she walked toward them. Hotch and Derek were leaning against a brick wall and Rossi and Reid were sharing a bench next to them. It was clear by looking at them that all four men were plastered. Hotch had called nearly an hour ago and it seemed that none of them had chosen to stop drinking at that point.

She shook her head and sighed. It was always interesting getting a drunk Derek Morgan to listen to her. Her three shopping companions were grouped next to her, sizing up their charges as well. It was a no brainer. Hotch would go with Beth, of course. And JJ would want to take Reid, to make sure he was okay. And Rossi and Blake lived fairly close to one another. And she would take Morgan.

"Alright, Hot Stuff. Come on."

He pushed off the wall, looking very intent on strolling over to her smoothly, but immediately stepped sideways. She hurried to his side and looped her arm around him. He kissed the top of her head with a flourish he never would have used sober. "Whatever you say, Baby Girl."

She helped him to the car and practically shoved him in, leaving him to manage the belt on his own while she rounded to Esther's driver's side. She glanced back briefly to make sure no one else needed help, but the situation was well under control.

Beth had hold of Hotch's tie, leading their grinning team leader to her car. Rossi, ever more dignified then the other men, was getting himself into Blake's car without much trouble. And JJ was simply walking to her car, a chagrined Reid following behind her.

Garcia slid into her car and fastened the seat belt then started the engine. "What were you four drinking?"

He turned to look at her and grinned, but seemed to be at least mildly embarrassed. "Everything."

She rolled her eyes as she put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb. He could handle his liquor no matter what he mixed, but combinations tended to leave him with one hell of a hangover in her experience. "You are going to regret that in the morning, Derek Morgan."

He grinned back at her. "I'm sure I'll live. So, Gorgeous, your place or mine?"

She shook her head. He would be singing a different tune in a few hours. "Mine's closer."

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AN: Well, this time hers was shorter than his. Interesting. I honestly don't know when I'll get the next chapter done because I don't know what I'm going to do with it. These first 4 wrote themselves. Now I'm actually going to have to put some work into it.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I am going to try to get Garcia's POV up tonight, but if I don't, it likely won't be up until Monday. I'm going to my brother's house for Easter tomorrow and my 19 month old nephew is Auntie's Little Man, so I will be playing all day. While I will have a blast, it will exhaust me. I hope you all have a great day! Happy Easter! Also, this pair of chapters will be shorter than the others, because it was either do a shorter set then a normal set, or do an epically long set.

MN: You know what I get to do tomorrow? I get to enjoy AJ cheating on her gluten free diet (she's gluten intolerant and I have to pay for it) seeing as it's a special occasion. There's gonna be green bean casserole and rolls and a fruit and cake parfait thingy and pie and who knows what else. I am going to be one happy muse! Or at least I will be happy until she gets sick. Hope you all have a Hoppy Easter! (Was that punny or funny or both?)

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Derek's head felt like he had an axe lodged in it. He groaned as he squeezed his eyes more tightly shut against the soft light of day seeping into the room. He was never going to be able to open his eyes again.

"Sit up, Hot Stuff. I've got aspirin and water for you."

Her voice was soft, obviously intended to be easy on his pounding head. He did as she had told him, but couldn't bring himself to even try opening his eyes. She took his hand and pressed two small pills into it. He popped them in his mouth and she replaced them with a cold glass. He downed the water and medicine then sank back down into the pillow.

"I'm never drinking with those three again. Hell, I don't even remember anything after seeing Hotch being dragged off by Beth by his tie." It was the truth. He had no recollection of getting back to Garcia's place, coming inside, or changing for bed.

That thought stopped him and he took a moment to assess his attire. He was shirtless and in his pajama pants, but, unlike normal, his boxer briefs were still in place. That had to mean that she had helped him change. "Oh God, Baby Girl, how bad was I?"

"Not bad. Until I tried to put you to bed. You were trying to insist on sleeping in the buff."

His stomach churned. He generally preferred to sleep naked. In fact, his pajamas had seen more use in the last three weeks than they generally did in three months. Of course he would try to strip down when drunk. And of course he would have to be with the girl of his dreams when it happened. "Shit."

"Don't worry, Angel Face. I managed to keep you in pants and save your honor. Now, I'm going to go fix breakfast. If you can manage to haul out of bed, a shower will help your head."

He heard the tinkle of beads as she exited her bedroom. He opened his eyes slowly, one by one, the small amount of light filtering through her curtains making his head throb. Moving slowly, he sat up, then stood and shuffled toward the bathroom.

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Now dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans and a paint stained t-shirt, Derek dropped himself into a chair in Garcia's kitchen. There was already a mug of coffee sitting there, fixed the way he liked it. She was far too good to him.

It was still decently early. They'd been picked up the night before around 10pm so he'd still gotten well over plenty of sleep before his head woke him at 8am. He was thankful for that. There were things he just had to get done.

He raised the steaming mug and took a small sip, concerned with the acidic brew's potential to make his stomach revolt. To his relief, as the warmth hit his stomach it only served to make him realize how hungry he was.

As if on cue, Garcia set down a plate of eggs and toast before him. "Eat up." She sat across from him with her own plate and motioned it him with her fork. "I take it your plans for today involve working on one of your houses?"

Nodding, he swallowed a bite of eggs. He didn't know what she put in them, but she made the best scrambled eggs he'd ever had. "Yeah. The one with the finished basement. It's actually done. This weekend I'm just cleaning it up. My agent says she has someone that's interested in looking at it this week. I need to give it a good scrub down to get all of the dust I created out and it's ready to go."

She smiled across at him. It was a sight that always seemed to soothe his soul. "That's great, D. I don't have anything going on, want some help?"

He knew he should probably tell her no, get some space from her, but he couldn't help himself. "Now why on Earth would I turn down an offer like that? Hey, the cleaning supplies are all over there already, we can take my bike today."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll go change once we're done eating."

The grin on her face was enough for him to stop caring that he needed to figure things out in his own head.

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Derek set the box of cleaning supplies down on the porch and straightened up, smiling despite the twinge of pain in his back. JJ had called Garcia as she was changing and had offered to come help them since Will was taking Henry out for quality time together. On her way she'd managed to lure a very hung-over Reid out of bed. Rossi had shown up bearing food at lunch time.

Now, it was just shy of 6pm and the house was sparkling. They wouldn't need to come back tomorrow at all since Rossi had agreed to drop the supplies off at his house.

"We all set?"

He nodded at the older man. "Yep. JJ and Reid just left and Garcia is waiting by my bike. Just need to lock up."

He slid the key into the lock and turned the deadbolt as Rossi heaved the box up from the ground. "Good. Now, since you have nothing better to do with the rest of your weekend, I expect you to spend your free time figuring things out with Garcia."

Derek opened his mouth to interject, but had no choice but to shut it ask the other man continued talking over him. "I don't want to hear it. Think about it this way: analyze your relationship. How you two talk, interact, touch, sleep. Not much missing between what you're doing and what you would expect from lovers, is there? So why not just take that one last little step?"

Before he could reply, Rossi had turned on his heel and headed for his car. He stood there for a few minutes, mulling over what he'd just been told. He and Garcia had been mistaken for a couple more times than he could count over the years. And their flirty banter was, essentially, verbal foreplay.

He shook his head and walked down the path to the driveway where his best friend and his bike awaited him. He took the helmet she handed to him and made a decision. "Baby Girl, why don't we go back to your place and change, then go out. Dinner and a ride. It's supposed to stay nice all night, let's take advantage of it."

The smile that curled onto her lips told her answer before she spoke. "Sounds good to me, Hot Stuff."

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AN: Definitely don't think I'm getting PG's done tonight. I got interrupted with a request for the assistance of my googling prowess (and help making deviled eggs). Not that I mind. My Mom is a special ed teacher and most of her students fall somewhere on the autism spectrum. Tuesday is International Autism Awareness day and she wanted some cool activity ideas. That said, I ask of you all, please wear blue on Tuesday. It's a simple thing to show people who are ostracized for being who they are that you care.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: My Mom bought me this amazing huge fluffy purple towel for Easter and since I'm not a morning person I decided to jump in a quick shower before bed. Unfortunately for me, it woke up the Penelope channeling part of my brain. Fortunately for you, as long as I can get it all out without falling asleep, you guys get a bonus Easter chapter!

MN: Her Mom actually bought two of those towels for her but I like the other one better. That being said, I'm going to sleep. This is all her.

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She had been up for half an hour already. She knew Derek was going to wake up with a splitting headache any time, so she'd decided just to get up. She had immediately prepped a glass of ice water and a bottle of painkillers on the nightstand, knowing he'd need them.

After a quick shower, Penelope had slid on a light cotton dress. It was gorgeous out and she was considering spending part of the day in the park with her knitting. As she was tossing her pajamas in the pile of dirty laundry in her closet, she heard him groan and turned around.

He was obviously in pain, his eyes squeezed tight even though she had made sure the light in the room was minimal. She looped eyes and stepped over to the bed. "Sit up, Hot Stuff. I've got aspirin and water for you."

She spoke softly, not wanting to make his pain worse, even if he kind of deserved it. He pushed himself upright but kept his eyes tightly closed. She took two pills out of the bottle and grabbed his hand, placing them in his palm. After he'd tossed them in his mouth, she replaced them with the water. He gulped it down and she took the glass back as he sunk back into the bed.

"I'm never drinking with those three again. Hell, I don't even remember anything after seeing Hotch being dragged off by Beth by his tie." He paused for a moment, seeming to realize how badly drunk he'd been. "Oh God, Baby Girl, how bad was I?"

"_Come on, Adonis. You need to get into bed."_

_He'd waggled his eyebrows at her in a way that was uniquely him as he pulled his shirt off. "Only if you're getting into bed too, Mama."_

"_Of course. Now come on, pajamas, Mister."_

_That was when his smile turned downright wicked. "Pajamas? I don't think I feel like sleeping in pajamas. I never used to do it at all."_

_She'd barely managed to grab his hands in time as he grabbed for the waistband of his jeans and, presumably, the boxer briefs underneath. "Oh no you don't."_

"Not bad. Until I tried to put you to bed. You were trying to insist on sleeping in the buff." She suppressed a giggle, preferring to make him feel at least a little bit guilty.

Her attempt worked and he blanched. "Shit."

She shook her head. She just couldn't stand to see him suffer. Better put him out of his misery. "Don't worry, Angel Face. I managed to keep you in pants and save your honor. Now, I'm going to go fix breakfast. If you can manage to haul out of bed, a shower will help your head."

She turned and headed out to her kitchen. A minute later she heard the shower turn on.

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Breakfast was nearly ready when he joined her in the kitchen. She'd gone ahead and made his coffee for him and had it waiting on the table. Now Penelope was plating up scrambled eggs, adding them to the toast she'd already made and buttered.

Just as he took a tentative sip of his coffee, she put down the full plate in front of him and dropped into her seat across the table. "Eat up."

She took a bite of the eggs and smiled. He loved her scrambled eggs, but he could never figure out what she put in them that made them different and she refused to tell him.

That's when noticed he was dressed in some very beat up clothes and pointed at them with her fork. "I take it your plans for today involve working on one of your houses?"

He nodded passionately. He always got excited when he talked about one of his project properties. She found it adorable. "Yeah. The one with the finished basement. It's actually done. This weekend I'm just cleaning it up. My agent says she has someone that's interested in looking at it this week. I need to give it a good scrub down to get all of the dust I created out and it's ready to go."

His smile and excitement were infectious and she returned both. "That's great, D. I don't have anything going on, want some help?"

She knew she shouldn't have asked. She should really try to put some space between them, but his eyes lit up. "Now why on Earth would I turn down an offer like that? Hey, the cleaning supplies are all over there already, we can take my bike today."

Few things thrilled her more than climbing on the back of his motorcycle and wrapping her arms around him. "Sounds like a plan. I'll go change once we're done eating."

His grin widened as he dug back into his breakfast and she decided that figuring out her feelings could wait.

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Penelope leaned against the garage door, satisfyingly sore. She'd managed to enlist the help of JJ, Reid, and Rossi and together they had the house finished before 6pm. She was filthy, but pleased.

Derek, Reid, and Rossi were loading the cleaning supplies into Rossi's car. Kind old soul that he was, he'd offered to drop them by Derek's house so he wouldn't have to come back for them.

JJ rounded the corner and came to stand next to her. "I don't think I've ever had so much fun cleaning a house before."

Penelope smiled in agreement. "It _was_ fun wasn't it? I'm almost disappointed we got it all done today. I was all set to spend the weekend over here."

JJ's smile turned mischievous. "And there's nothing else you can spend the weekend doing? Like maybe making it _enough_?"

"JJ, let's go! I want to get there in time to have dinner with Henry!" Reid was standing by JJ's car at the curb and she turned and walked to him without another word to Penelope.

She mulled over JJ's words while she waited for Derek. The truth was, there wasn't much more that their relationship could be. They were best friends. They shared everything. They never got tired of each other. They were similar enough not to get on one another's nerves but different enough to keep things interesting.

She picked up their helmets just as he rounded the corner and handed him his. "Baby Girl, why don't we go back to your place and change, then go out. Dinner and a ride. It's supposed to stay nice all night, let's take advantage of it."

She smiled automatically. She could never say no to him. She made the decision in an instant. "Sounds good to me, Hot Stuff."

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AN: Now, I have to be up in about 5 hours so I'm hopefully going to be asleep very soon. And I'm really sorry for any mistakes in this one; I typed it up much faster than normal. Anyways, Happy Easter all!


	7. Chapter 7

AN: I am oh so very not well at the moment, but it was totally worth it. Dinner was delicious. And with four of us tag teaming the Little Man, I'm only really freaking tired, not exhausted. This is definitely going to be that hardest chapter I've written so far so I don't know if I'll be up to the Garcia version tonight or not. If my stomach meds will work, I am going to attempt to crash out early. Absolute latest should be tomorrow night, but probably before that.

MN: Definitely worth it. I'm in muse heaven. And she hasn't even opened the chocolate yet!

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Derek grinned inside his helmet as her arms tightened around him. He loved taking her out on his bike. The faster he drove, the harder she squeezed him. Even in this case, where he'd slowed down then sped back up marginally. He slowed once again and turned into the parking area.

They had shared a pizza at one of their favorite shops. It was a cozy place, family owned and run. They had a favorite booth in the back, a half circle that allowed them to sit close together, sharing off one another's plates. She'd had a glass of wine with dinner, but he had skipped. He would rarely have so much as a beer if he was riding the motorcycle, preferring to err on the side of caution.

He'd rushed her out after they'd finished eating and took a direct route to Leesylvania State Park. She had bugged him about where they were going, but he'd told her just to relax and enjoy the ride.

He brought the motorcycle to a complete stop in a parking space and waited for her to be firmly back on the ground before dismounting himself. He locked their helmets to the bike, stuck a flashlight in his pocket, and checked his watch. It was almost 8pm. Being late May, sunset would be around 8:30. Half an hour was plenty of time.

"Feel up to a walk Baby Girl?"

Garcia had been looking around but turned to smile at him. "I think I can handle it, Chocolate Thunder. Where are we going?"

Derek grinned and shook his head. "It's still a surprise. Come on." He reached over and grabbed her hand, entwining his fingers with hers, before leading her toward the entrance toward a trail.

They walked through the trees in silence, hand in hand. When they came to a fork in the path he paused and racked his brain before taking the right fork then, almost immediately, stepping off the marked trail and onto a footpath. He felt her hesitate and stopped, turning toward her. "What's wrong, Mama?"

She was eyeing the path ahead of him. "Hot Stuff, do you know where you're going? Cause I'm not exactly a nature type girl and I would so very not be okay if we got lost in there."

He placed his free hand on her cheek, his face suddenly serious. "I know where I'm going. I've been here a couple dozen times, just not in the Spring. Trust me, Sweetness."

She nodded beneath his hand. "I trust you."

Once again he smiled. "Good." He dropped his hand from her face and squeezed the one of hers he still held a little tighter before leading her down the path.

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Derek was relieved to find the clearing empty as they emerged from the trees. The overlook was secluded and not popular, but he'd encountered other hikers there before. His hands were over Garcia's eyes as he led her across the small expanse of grass, up to a simple wooden fence placed at the edge of the clearing for safety. "Okay, **now** you can look."

He dropped his hands but stayed behind her, letting her take in the amazing view of the Potomac River before her. The overlook was on a small piece of land that jutted out into the river, allowing a spectacular view to the North, East, and, most importantly tonight, West.

"It's beautiful, D." She leaned back into him as she spoke and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"It sure is." He pressed a kiss to the side of her head and stared out at the river with her. After a few minutes, he released her and stepped to a well-placed bench, settling himself onto the weathered wood.

He patted the seat next to him and she sat close next to him, shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh. Once again he captured her hand in his and her head came to rest on his shoulder.

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It was starting to get dark. Very dark. Derek knew he should take Garcia back to the bike but he was enjoying the moment too much. She was still nestled to his side, hand entwined with his.

As far as he was concerned, this had been the perfect day with her. They had laughed, talked, had fun, and then topped it all off by watching a gorgeous sunset together.

His smile faded. It had been a great day, but not perfect. Rossi had hit the nail square on the head. He was completely and totally in love with Penelope Garcia. And she had no clue.

He had told her before that he loved her, but now he realized that he had never told her he was _in_ love with her. She hadn't chosen Lynch over him because she didn't know that he was a choice. And he owed her the honesty.

He took a deep breath. He needed to just lay everything out on the line. "Baby Girl?"

She turned to look at him and everything he was going to say completely left him. She was smiling softly up at him, the last few rays of light accenting the natural beauty of her face and making her hair glow.

Before he could stop himself, Derek leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers in an excruciatingly tender kiss. The feel of her lips against his was electric. The intensity of the emotions welling inside of him took his breath away and he had to pull back from her to regain his composure. He pressed his forehead against hers and clasped both of her hands in his..

"What was that for, Angel Face?" She sounded confused and that was exactly what he didn't want. He wanted to make things clear between them for the first time in seven and a half years.

"That was because I'm a chicken, P." He took a deep breath and pulled his head back so he could look her in the eye. "I know you know I love you, but I don't think you get it. You are my heart and soul. My driving force. You're my home. My safe harbor. And I've been head over heels in love with you for as long as I've known you."

As much as he tried not to profile his family and friends normally, at that moment Derek wished he could climb into her head. She was staring at him intently and with each second that ticked by his chest tightened. He started to feel panic closing in. If she didn't feel the same way he had likely just ended their friendship.

When he finally couldn't take it anymore he opened his mouth to apologize and started to pull back. To his complete amazement she used their joined hands to yank him back to her and kissed him hard on the mouth.

His surprise only lasted a moment before he managed to release her hands and wrap his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. The kiss took on a life of its own, growing, changing, and deepening.

Derek slid his tongue out, sliding it against her lips, and groaned. She tasted like heaven. Behind the tang of her orange lip gloss was something sweet. She opened her mouth to him and he dipped his tongue in. The sweetness was surrounding him now as their tongues gently teased one another's and he was fairly positive he could die happy in that moment.

She made a low purring sound into his mouth and he just had to have her closer. He grabbed her by the hips and hauled her into his lap, straddling him, without breaking the contact of their mouths. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, he plunged his fingers into the soft curls of her hair. His other hand was pressed into the small of her back, holding her to him.

He kissed her until he couldn't breathe anymore before finally dragging his mouth from hers and reconnecting their foreheads. Once he'd caught his breath he smiled. "What was that for, Sweetness?"

Her breathy laugh and low voice reminded him acutely of how much he wanted her. "That was because I'm a chicken too, Derek. Always too scared to tell you how much you mean to me. Too scared to tell you I'm in love with you too."

He pulled her more tightly against him, burying his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. He didn't know how long he had held her to him, but when he reopened his eyes and eased her back from him, he realized that it was fully dark out.

"We should probably go." The moon afforded enough light for him to see her nod in response.

Reluctantly he helped her slid off of him and onto her feet then stood with her. He pulled the flashlight out of his pocked and winced as he felt the pain from where it had dug into his leg. He clicked the light on and shifted it to his left hand so he could hold her hand with his right.

They walked back to the parking lot more slowly than they had gotten to the overlook because of the darkness. Once they were standing next to the motorcycle, he turned the flashlight off and stowed returned it to its place then unlocked their helmets.

Her fingers brushed his as he handed her one helmet and he smiled. "Come on, Baby Girl. Let's go home."

Her smile looked as sultry as his felt. "You've got it, Hot Stuff."

As they climbed onto his bike and pulled out of the parking lot, Derek couldn't be happier. Life was definitely going his way, and he didn't anticipate too many future problems falling asleep. That is, except for the ones Penelope would provide for him. Those he would welcome.

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AN: Somehow this decided to write itself as the last Morgan chapter. So I'll write the scene out from Garcia's view and then I'm thinking an Epilogue from someone else's point of view. If I were to do that, who would you guys want me to write it as? Also, while my meds worked, the crashing out early didn't. I swear, being my mother's "go to computer person" could be a full time job.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Sorry I didn't get this up sooner. I have no really good excuse. I saw that this week's new CM was a tie in with "Profiler, Profiled" and since I haven't seen it in forEVER, I decided I needed to watch it. And then I realized I hadn't seen "Lucky" and "Penelope" in ages either. So I watched them. And the M/G goodness put me in the mood for "Exit Wounds". And then, just because I'm a little sadistic and had to break up the love, "Snake Eyes" only just now finished. So, yeah, 4 hours of CM later, I am finally getting my Garcie on.

MN: I wish I could be the hero and say I tried to convince her to turn off the CM and write, but I can't. I was enjoying it as much as she was. We're pathetic. Hopefully this makes up for it.

(Additional)AN: Okay so literally, I don't know how, I ended up on Shemar Moore's blog and watched part of his interview on the Jeff Probst show. I have now pitched my headphones across the room so I can't watch any more videos tonight.

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Penelope tightened the muscles in her arms as he sped back up. It made her feel safe being so close to Derek, even though he hadn't accelerated much. As he turned into a parking lot, she found herself disappointed that the ride was ending.

All through dinner she had begged him to tell her where they were going on their ride. He had refused. Normally when they went out on his bike, they didn't have a destination in mind, but tonight had been different.

_She had exited her bedroom in fresh clothes to find him ready to go, sitting on her couch. She'd grabbed a pair of heeled boots, but he shook his head._

"_Uh-uh, Princess. No heels tonight. There's something I want to show you after dinner. You're going to be better off in those black work boots I got you last summer."_

_She had pouted at him deliberately. "The ugly ones?"_

_His chuckle had threatened to break her facade, tempting her to smile at him. "Ugly, but practical. Besides, no one will be looking at your feet, Mama."_

_She had tried changing tactics as she pulled on the boots and sat to lace them up. "You know, if I knew where we were going, it would be easier to dress appropriately."_

_His grin had almost undone her again. "Too bad. I want it to be a surprise."_

After dinner he had practically hauled her from the restaurant, insisting they were going to be late. But for what, she had no idea. It wasn't late, probably close to 8pm. Heck, the sun hadn't even set yet.

She was surprised when he turned into Leesylvania State Park. She knew he came out there from time to time, but she wasn't much of an outdoorsy type, and he was well aware of that fact. Why he would bring her to a place designed for hiking, camping, and riverside activities was beyond her.

He pulled into a parking spot and killed the engine. She slid off the back and pulled the helmet off of her head, freeing her hair. He took it from her, locking it to the bike and stuck a flashlight in his pocket. "Feel up to a walk Baby Girl?"

She had been looking around the edges of the parking lot, noting several hiking trails. She turned back toward him and smiled at the look of contentment on his face. She could never say no to him. "I think I can handle it, Chocolate Thunder." Her curiosity was burbling. "Where are we going?"

Derek simply grinned at her and shook his head. "It's still a surprise. Come on." He took her by the hand and headed toward one of the trailheads.

He seemed to know exactly where he was going as they walked quietly, her hand still held in his. When they reached a fork in the path he hesitated, looking momentarily confused before leading her down the right fork. A moment later he moved to step off the main trail onto an overgrown footpath and she paused. He turned back toward her, studying her face. "What's wrong, Mama?"

She was not a big fan of the woods and lost in the park was not where she wanted to be after dark. "Hot Stuff, do you know where you're going? Cause I'm not exactly a nature type girl and I would so very not be okay if we got lost in there."

The hand that wasn't holding hers came up to cup her cheek and his face was serious. She instantly felt guilty for having ever doubted him. "I know where I'm going. I've been here a couple dozen times, just not in the Spring. Trust me, Sweetness."

She nodded. "I trust you." It was true. She trusted him more than she trusted any other human being on the face of the planet.

The smile returned to his face and the weight on her chest eased. "Good." He lowered his hand from her face and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze with his before leading her down the smaller trail.

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She moved her feet cautiously, worried about tripping over a branch or a divot in the ground. As they had approached a bend in the trail he had insisted she close her eyes, then stepped behind her to cover them with his hands, careful not to touch the lenses of her glasses. He had gently led her to the right, then back to the left, then straight forward. There was no longer a crunch of leaves under her feet, just the soft feel of grass. Finally he brought her to a stop. "Okay, **now** you can look."

He lowered his hands right as she opened her eyes and the view took her breath away. They were on a cliff above the river. It jutted out into the water, giving them a view in all directions except South. The sun was starting to dip over the horizon in the West, the brilliant colors filtering through the trees and reflecting off the water. He was still behind her and she leaned back into his ready embrace. "It's beautiful, D."

"It sure is." He gently kissed the side of her head, his lips warm against her temple. His face remained next to hers for several minutes, looking out over the cliff's edge.

When he released her, he moved to a storm weathered bench and eased himself down onto the seat. He patted the wood next to him and she joined him, sitting close. They were in contact from shoulder to knee. He took her hand in his once again and she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

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The sun had dipped out of sight and it was getting dark, but Penelope didn't care. As far as she was concerned, she currently existed in a perfect moment. She was still pressed tightly to Derek's side, holding hands with him. The entire day had been amazing, spending time with him. And then he had shown her this spot. It had been the perfect end to a perfect day.

An almost perfect day. She chewed the inside of her lip as her conversation with JJ replayed in her mind. She couldn't even figure out when their relationship started to be not enough. And how it could be both everything and lacking at the same time.

Things had gotten fuzzy a long time ago, the first time he'd told her he loved her. And she'd told him too. But she never could manage to admit to him that, beyond that, she was _in_ love with him. She was positive that particular feeling was a one way street and she didn't want to do anything that could damage their friendship.

But then he did things like this. Things that made her think that maybe, just maybe, he understood exactly how she felt about him. And felt the same way about her.

"Baby Girl?"

His voice pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to look at him. She soft remnants of light on his face made him look young. Innocent. And just slightly anguished.

Suddenly he leaned toward her and his lips connected with hers. The kiss was exceptionally sweet and tender. It made her heart stop, flutter, and ache all in a moment.

A moment was all it lasted before he pulled away slightly and placed his forehead against hers. He wrapped one of his hands around each of hers. Confusion washed over her. Their relationship had always had a physical aspect and he kissed her often. On her cheeks, forehead, temple, hair, hands. Never on the lips. She didn't know what it meant. "What was that for, Angel Face?"

"That was because I'm a chicken, P." Now she was really confused. Derek was a lot of things, but a chicken certainly wasn't one.

She heard him suck in a deep breath and he pulled even further back from her, his gaze locking with hers. "I know you know I love you, but I don't think you get it. You are my heart and soul. My driving force. You're my home. My safe harbor. And I've been head over heels in love with you for as long as I've known you."

Penelope sat there, momentarily shocked. She definitely hadn't been expected that. And she wasn't sure how to respond. His face started to fall from hopeful to dejected and she suddenly knew exactly what to do. As he started to say something she tightened her grip on his hands and pulled him forward to her and pressed her lips firmly back to his.

He froze against her for a brief moment then untangled his hands from hers. His arms snaked around her and tightened, pressing her against him. Their kiss shifted, moving from tender to passionate.

She felt his mouth open against hers and suddenly his tongue was on her lips. She felt the reverberation from the groan that escaped him and parted her lips to him. He slowly dipped his tongue in and she could taste him. She could never even hope to describe it but it was blissful, decadent, and unique. If she had thought she had felt complete with him before, she was wrong.

The sound that slipped from her throat surprised even her and seemed to encourage him. His hands moved from her back to her hips and he effortlessly pulled her to him. She found herself astride his thighs in an instant, their lips never parting from one another's.

Her hands had been on his chest since he'd released them, but now she wrapped her arms around his neck. One of his hands was suddenly tangled in her hair and the other on the small of her back, both pulling her into closer contact with him.

By the time he wrenched his mouth from hers, they were both gasping for air. He pressed his forehead back to hers. Once his breathing evened back out she felt him smile against her cheek. "What was that for, Sweetness?"

She laughed at the way he had turned the tables on her. "That was because I'm a chicken too, Derek. Always too scared to tell you how much you mean to me. Too scared to tell you I'm in love with you too."

His arms tightened around her, forcing her impossibly closer and his face was in her hair. He held her there and she held him back just as tightly, slightly scared that if she let go the whole evening might just disappear.

She wasn't sure how long they stayed that way but when he relaxed under her, her knees and thighs were starting to ache and it was well and truly dark out.

"We should probably go." His voice was low and tinged with slight disappointment.

She nodded in response and let him help her up. He stood to join her and fished the flashlight from his pocket. He turned it on and gripped it in his left hand, using his right to firmly grasp hers.

The trip back to the parking lot took longer in the dark, but she could care less if it took days. She was content to be hand in hand with him, their true feelings for each other now revealed. Much too soon, they were standing beside his motorcycle and he was stashing the flashlight and handing her a helmet, her fingers tingling here his brushed them. He was smiling at her again and it sent a jolt through her body.

"Come on, Baby Girl. Let's go home."

His smile was infectious as always and she returned it. "You've got it, Hot Stuff."

She waited for him to be firmly seated then climbed onto the bike behind him. As they exited the parking lot, she couldn't help but feel serene. She had overcome so much with him at her side. She had no doubt that his presence would keep her nightmares away, forever..

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MN: AJ said I could write the Epilogue. Right now the leader in the "Who's POV should it be from?" contest is Rossi, but we will take all votes via comments or PM up until the time we start writing it, so get your vote in! Also, we apologize for any mistakes in this chapter but it's 4am and if we try to proofread it before we submit it we _will_ fall asleep and it won't be up until tomorrow.


	9. Epilogue

AN: I didn't have to wait until later tonight. Rossi has overwhelming support from you guys. I've never written anything from his angle before so bear with me on this. And thank you all for your overwhelming support of Sebby and I through this. We won't be starting another story immediately. I have a job interview tomorrow and Friday I'm heading up North (a few hours away) for a long weekend and not taking my computer. Provided a good idea strikes me, I shall begin something else on Monday or Tuesday of next week.

MN: This was so much fun to write. And your reviews were awesome. Thanks for reading everyone!

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David Rossi strolled out of the elevator, a cup of coffee clutched in his right hand and his briefcase in his left. He wasn't usually the one to be to the office early on a Monday, but Morgan was and he wanted the opportunity to interrogate the younger man before their teammates arrived.

As he approached Morgan's office, Rossi could see that the light was on, but when he stuck his head through the doorway, the chair behind the desk was empty. There was a steaming cup of coffee on the desk, so he knew the other agent was somewhere in the building.

A giggle from next door made him smile. If he couldn't question Morgan just yet, he would settle for Garcia. It wouldn't be anywhere near the same level of challenge that extracting information from her "best friend" was, but would suite his purposes.

He rapped on the door lightly and turned the knob. As he opened the door he froze, nearly dropping his coffee. Morgan was sitting in her chair with Garcia perched in his lap, their mouths fused together. He hand one hand on the back of her neck and the other cupping her breast.

Rossi regained his composure and backed away, closing the door as quietly as possible. He turned to continue to the bullpen and nearly collided with JJ.

"Morning! Garcie in there? I wanted to talk to her." She moved to step past him and he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Our Tech Kitten is currently otherwise occupied. I think we can call our little plan a rousing success, Agent Jareau." He grinned at her conspiratorially as he thought about the conversation they'd had Friday morning.

_He had set a mug of coffee on her desk. She was pouring over files, trying to clear her inbox before the weekend. He'd seen the lack of a mug on her desk as he'd passed her open door and decided she could probably use the caffeine as much as him._

"_Thanks, Dave. I was just thinking that I needed a pick me up." She'd picked up the steaming cup and inhaled the scent deeply, a smile playing at her lips. He brought his own beans from home and the drink he'd brought her was a rich, dark brew._

"_You're quite welcome. Besides, you don't want to be in there right now. Morgan and Garcia are on their morning coffee break." He helped himself to the seat across from her._

_JJ had looped her eyes then smiled again as she sipped the flavorful liquid. "Those two are pathetic. When are they just going to get it over with already?"_

_Rossi had laughed at that. He would have expected the comment from Prentiss when she'd been there, or from Hotch when they were sharing a good bottle of scotch, but not from quiet and prim Jennifer Jareau. "I wonder the same thing on a daily basis. Sometimes I wonder if Morgan would pay attention to his feelings if they punched him in the face."_

_Her replying nod was fervent. "One of these days I'm going to lose it and flat tell Garcia to jump his bones."_

_His fingers had tapped his mug momentarily in thought. "You know, that's not a bad idea."_

_JJ's eyebrows had shot skyward. "Wait, what?"_

_With a grin he'd leaned forward, placing his mug on the edge of her desk and tenting his fingers. "I think I have a plan. Are you busy tonight?"_

JJ looped her arm in Rossi's and walked with to the bullpen. "What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall when Hotch finds out."

He laughed lightly. "We could always bug his office."

JJ shook her head at him. "He'll make sure it all works out. It's a good thing you did, Agent Rossi."

Reid appeared before them. "What's a good thing he did?"

Rossi stepped away. "I'm letting you answer that one, JJ."

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A year later, Rossi adjusted his bowtie before knocking on the door. It opened a crack and JJ's face appeared. "It's time."

She opened the door to him and he stepped inside. Garcia was standing behind her, nervously fidgeting with the flowers in her hand. He smiled at her. "You look stunning, Kitten."

Her hands stilled and she smiled at him. "Thanks, Super Agent. And thanks for agreeing to this."

Rossi crossed to her and cupped his hand over her cheek. "I'm honored that you asked, Penelope. Now, crank up that high wattage smile of yours and let's go. Morgan is driving Hotch and Reid crazy. He can't wait to make an honest woman of you."

Her signature smile lit up her face and she hooked her arm around his. "I think he's waited quite long enough, don't you?"

Rossi chuckled as they exited the room behind JJ and a visiting Emily Prentiss. "Far too long if you ask me. It's why JJ and I had to do what we did."

Garcia had gotten JJ to tell her everything about their covert plan less than a week after it had succeeded. After initially feigning resentment at them, she had given in and thanked them. When Morgan had proposed four months later, she'd asked JJ to be her matron of honor and him to give her away.

Morgan had barely convinced her they shouldn't elope. As much as he had been eager to marry her, he'd wanted them to do it surround by family. Rossi was fairly sure that part of it had been due to Morgan's mother. And his desire to give Garcia everything she had ever wanted in life.

They waited, arm in arm as Hotch and JJ, then Reid and Prentiss preceded them down the aisle. Then the music changed and he felt her stiffen. He used his free hand to gently pat the one of hers hooked through his elbow. "Relax, Kitten." He moved them into the doorway. "Look."

In his peripheral vision, he saw her chin come up and he could see on Morgan's face down the aisle the moment when their eyes locked. She relaxed next to him and he grinned as he led her to her future.

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A/MN: Phew. What a journey! Thank you all for joining us on it. Your reviews are very welcome! We appreciate the time you take to respond to us.

~AJ and Sebastian


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